Fungus
Malassezia furfur
Lipophilic yeast of tinea versicolor
mal-uh-SEE-zee-uh FUR-fur
High-yield clue
'Spaghetti and meatballs' short hyphae plus round yeast on skin scraping with discolored trunk patches is the core study clue.
Overview
A lipid-dependent yeast that is part of normal skin flora and overgrows to cause tinea (pityriasis) versicolor, hypo- or hyperpigmented patches on the trunk. It is the classic example of a lipophilic superficial-mycosis yeast.
Classification
- Lipophilic (lipid-dependent) yeast
- Basidiomycota
- Round to oval yeast with short curved hyphae
- Skin commensal that overgrows
- Requires exogenous long-chain fatty acids
Lab & identification clues
- 'Spaghetti and meatballs' hyphae-plus-yeast microscopy vocabulary
- Lipophilic culture requiring an oil/fatty-acid overlay concept
- Skin-scraping preparation clears pigmentation differences
- Fluorescence under Wood lamp vocabulary
Associations
- Tinea (pityriasis) versicolor with pigment-altered macules
- Seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff association
- Catheter-associated fungemia in patients on lipid infusions vocabulary
- Warm humid climate and sebum-rich skin as risk vocabulary
Commonly confused with
- Dermatophytes (true ringworm molds)
- Vitiligo (non-fungal pigment loss)
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.